Activity-centric computing provides a way of working collaboratively, focused around the goal at hand rather than on specific tools/defined workflow processes. By leveraging a set of characteristics of an activity-centric computing system, lightweight workflow processes may be created on-the-fly and as a result of natural work activities. This may provide a method of collaborating/completing/connecting processes that is more natural for the layman than existing workflow software.
Specifically, existing methodologies may either be based on predefined processes (i.e., which are generally process-centric or document-centric, as opposed to activity-centric) or are fully informal (i.e., requiring the people involved to determine the correct flow and access control at each step); each of which has its drawbacks.